The Varieties of Homicide and Its Research : FBI

Published by the FBI Academy, Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Department of Justice. John Jarvis (et al), Behavioral Science Unit, FBI Academy

Crime and violence continue to be a major challenge facing the nation. Encouragingly, recent statistics show marked declines in crime in the United States (Federal Bureau of Investigation, 1999). However, as recent as juts a few years ago, rates for crimes of violence and homicide were recorded to be at near all time high levels. As a consequence, various efforts to response to an apparent "epidemic of violence" in the United States resulted.

Among these New York Cities' COMPSTAT approach to crime analysis, Richmond, Virginia's Project Exile to curb gun use, and the Boston Gun Project are but a few of the programmatic efforts that are widely believed to have contributed to the decline of violent crime rates within these communities. Yet, each of these crime control efforts has at least one element in common. All have been, either directly or indirectly, examined for their contributions and limitations by the researches, practitioners, and academics that comprise the Homicide Research Working Group (HRWG).

Dedicated to examining the causes, correlates, and promise for preventing both homicide and violent behavior, The HRWG, with support from the National Institute of Justice, was formed in 1991. In June 1992, at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor several researchers and academicians assembled to discuss issues related to the measurement, research and understanding of violence and homicide. As noted above, reported rates for these crimes were at unprecedented levels in 1992. At this gathering the HRWG was formalized and annual meetings have followed. This effort has yielded a body of knowledge, as scholarly journal, programmatic directions, and collaborative relationships among researchers that significantly enhance our understanding of the problems of homicide and the potential to prevent these tragic outcomes.

In furtherance of this effort, the Training Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, United States Department of Justice, initially hosted the annual meetings of the 1993 Homicide Research Working Group at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia. This symposium brought together approximately 50 individuals and served as a catalyst for further research and discovery. The proceedings from this 1993 symposium were then published by the National Institute of Justice. As a direct consequence of the success of these earlier HRWG meetings, the Behavioral Science Unit of the FBI Academy again hosted the 1999 meetings of the HRWG. This symposium brought together more than 80 practitioners, researchers, academicians, and others who were seeking to further work on the changing causes, correlates, and potentials for curbing the incidence of both homicide and violence.

These proceedings represent not only a compilation of the activities of these 1999 meetings but also serve to underscore the commitment by government, private industry, and the public that are necessary to understand and prevent the problems created by violence and homicide. It is hoped that the information provided herein will continue to assist individuals and organizations dedicated to broadening our understanding of the problems of violence and homicide. This symposium, and the information contained in the articles published here, have two goals:) 1. the enhancement of the state of knowledge relative to homicide and violence in our society and 2) the identification of strategies to prevent such behavior now and in the future.